Album cover
A basement studio in Gangnam.
Since Saturday morning, Hyunsoo had been holed up in the studio working on finishing his album when a man approached him.
"Hey, Hyunsoo, is today the day they're coming?"
"Yeah, it should be about time."
The tall man with long hair tied loosely behind his head was Kanghyuk, the owner of the guitar that Soo-hyun had borrowed last time.
"I checked it out because you told me, and it's amazing."
"Really?"
Kanghyuk plopped down onto the sofa behind Hyunsoo's PC and said,
"Even though it's just comments, the wording…"
Hyunsoo had said someone was coming tomorrow to talk about the album cover, so Kanghyuk had looked into it.
And because he was worried that person might say something weird to Hyunsoo, he ended up spending his weekend at the studio instead of lazing around at home.
"Well, it's someone a trustworthy person recommended."
"A trustworthy person? That woman doing the featuring?"
"Yeah, she seems nice."
"Kang Ah-young said she's insanely pretty. I should've come to the studio earlier that day."
"Haha, yeah."
The day after Soo-hyun visited, Kang Ah-young made a huge fuss to the others gathered at the studio, bragging endlessly about Soo-hyun's looks—without even showing the photos she'd taken, just to tease them.
"Is she really that pretty? Like, who does she look like?"
"Hmm… I don't know much about celebrities, so I can't say who she resembles. But she really looks like one."
"That much? Well, you're good-looking too."
"Haha…"
At the time, Kanghyuk hadn't thought much of it, but Ah-young's nonstop bragging eventually made him curious.
"Sigh… Why does she make people so curious…"
While Hyunsoo and Kanghyuk were chatting, someone knocked on the studio door.
"Oh, was it locked? I'll get it."
Being considerate of Hyunsoo, who was still working, Kanghyuk got up to open the door. Curious himself about the person Soo-hyun had recommended, Hyunsoo stood up and followed behind him.
"Yes, coming!"
The door opened, and standing there was a woman wearing a cap pulled low and a black mask.
She was tall, with a large guitar case slung over her back. She lifted her cap slightly, glanced at the man in front and then at Hyunsoo behind, and spoke.
"Nice to meet you. I'm here about the album cover."
As she greeted them, she gave Hyunsoo a subtle look that meant "pretend you don't know me," but Hyunsoo was already too shocked.
"Ah! You must be the one coming today. Please, come in."
Kanghyuk, who was meeting her for the first time, was calmer than Hyunsoo.
He hadn't expected her to be this pretty, but what harm was there in that?
"Please, come inside!"
He warmly welcomed Soo-hyun in, while Hyunsoo, still trying to process the situation, simply followed them inside.
"Oh, you must be SlimGold…"
When Soo-hyun trailed off, Kanghyuk immediately pointed at Hyunsoo.
"This guy is SlimGold! Pretty young, right?"
"Ah, pleased to meet you."
"Ah… y-yes…"
When Soo-hyun greeted him as though it were their first meeting, Hyunsoo finally realized she was pretending not to know him, so he decided to play along.
"Yes, it's nice to meet you."
"Shall we go inside?"
Thinking she was being playful, as expected of someone who streamed, Hyunsoo followed Soo-hyun further into the studio.
Her original plan had been to surprise him right away.
But since Kanghyuk—the owner of the guitar she'd borrowed last time—seemed not to recognize her, she decided to play a little trick.
Just as Miro and Kim Soo-hyun are different, Kim Soo-hyun and ksh are different too, aren't they?
Still, Hyunsoo hadn't expected her at all, even after seeing her Parangsae ID.
Unintentionally, he got swept up in her little prank, but it would be a fun memory for him later.
Anyway, she still had to handle the actual work properly.
She put down her guitar case and pulled out a notebook and writing tools.
"By the way, why did you bring your guitar?"
When she set the case down, Kanghyuk, who had been watching, asked.
She'd planned to practice a bit with Ah-young if she was around, but since she wasn't, she just said whatever came to mind.
"Well, I'm interested in it, and it helps me come up with images too."
"Oh… I see."
Kanghyuk, curiosity satisfied, stepped back, clearly intending not to interrupt while they worked, which she appreciated.
"So, could you tell me what kind of concept you'd like for the album?"
"Uh… hmm… just a second."
Hyunsoo wasn't sure whether she was really here to work or just to joke around, but soon decided to proceed and began explaining.
"Well, the title of my album is Fantasy…"
Hyunsoo explained the entire concept of the album from beginning to end, and she was impressed by how thoroughly thought out it was.
"Then I'll base the design around that?"
"Yes, with that subtle boundary between fantasy and reality…"
Hyunsoo always gave difficult requests—whether for feedback on songs or now—but luckily, this time, she immediately had an idea.
Her past work on Wonderland must have helped here too.
She quickly sketched out her idea in the notebook.
"Something like this?"
On the page, separated by a central boundary, one side showed a calm, realistic boy, while the other showed a fairy-tale-like stylized boy.
On the fairy-tale side, musical notes floated in the background, while on the realistic side, notebooks and pens floated around him.
"Uh… yes, exactly… that's perfect…"
Hyunsoo looked back and forth between the quick sketch and her face, then nodded with a curious expression.
"Do you like it?"
It was only a sketch, but it was clear and conveyed the feeling well.
"Yes… I think it'll turn out just like I imagined once it's finished."
"Then shall we make a contract?"
It was basically like an interview at this point—unusual, sure, but still.
In the end, wasn't this a great opportunity through a mutual acquaintance?
And if Hyunsoo became famous later, the credit of having drawn his album cover would boost her own career.
She wasn't planning to quit streaming, but having an extra source of income on the side wasn't a bad idea at all.
"Yes then… I'll be in your care."
"Yes, thank you."
And with that, they wrapped up the contract. It meant she'd get busier, but it also meant some sweet new numbers would be appearing in her bank account.
"Ah, um…"
Just as she was about to stand up, Hyun-soo, after checking that Kang-hyuk wasn't around, approached and spoke carefully.
"For the Wonderland track, I need to put down a name—how should I credit you? Are you registered on any music platforms?"
"Oh, a name?"
Her name… couldn't she just use Kim Soo-hyun?
But realistically, would she ever sing under the name Kim Soo-hyun again?
"I'm not registered."
"Then…"
"Just put me down as a part-timer."
Sure, if needed, she could register later, but for this one-off project, did she really need to use her real name?
"…What?"
"It was basically like a short-term gig. Just this once. Using my real name feels weird, but I don't need to go as far as making a stage name either. Just write 'part-timer' for the featuring credit. If you get famous later, that'll make for some fun trivia."
"Are you serious?"
Hyun-soo's face was a mix of disbelief at her suggestion, but she was serious. She had no intention of building a singing career as Kim Soo-hyun.
"Yeah. Ah, but for the album cover, credit me properly."
The featuring had just been a side job, but the album cover was different—that would become part of her professional portfolio.
"Alright… but seriously, I can't believe it's really you."
"You didn't suspect at all?"
"I mean, I kind of did…"
"'Kind of' is what gets people caught off guard. Anyway, I'll be heading out."
With that, she ended the conversation and left the studio.
Come to think of it, she had some questions about the guitar… but she figured she'd just message Ah-young about it later.
After leaving the studio, she headed home.
Walking under the blazing sunlight, she regretted bringing the heavy guitar along for no reason. Just then, her phone rang.
"Hello?"
[Good afternoon, Miro.]
As expected, it was her manager.
After all, calls to her phone usually came either from Hye-jung or her manager.
"What's up?"
[Are you free to talk now?]
"Yes."
The heat was exhausting, but it wasn't like she couldn't talk.
[It's about the new song—we're gathering the members' opinions.]
"Opinions?"
[Yes. This time, the company said they'd actively incorporate members' input, right? So we're planning to use your ideas from the very beginning of planning.]
"Wow, that's new."
It was a world of difference compared to last time, when she had only added her voice to an already finished track.
[Exactly. So, do you have anything you'd like to suggest? You don't have to say right now—this call is just to get you thinking.]
"But you'd prefer I answer sooner, right?"
[Ahaha… well, that would help with the schedule, yes.]
"Lucky for you, two ideas just came to mind."
The manager was relieved, but really, as soon as she heard the question, two things had popped up in her head.
[What are they?]
"First: individuality."
[Individuality?]
"Yes. I played the last song for a friend, and they said the members' unique styles didn't come through enough. I'd been meaning to mention that."
That had been Hyun-soo's comment. Something about how people from different backgrounds and vocal styles had been put together, but the result still felt too generic. She'd softened it a little, but that was the gist.
[Got it. And the second?]
"Well… honestly, this one just popped into my head right now."
[That's fine. An idea's an idea.]
She wiped the sweat from her forehead and looked up at the sky—at the blazing sun that made her sweat just from walking, even though it wasn't even midsummer yet.
"Refreshing vibes."
[Sorry?]
"I think it'd be great if the song had a refreshing feel to it."
It was summer, sweltering hot—wouldn't it be perfect if their music matched the season?
"So yeah, those two for now."
[Understood.]
And with that, she shared her thoughts, almost absentmindedly.
Unaware of what kind of results her words might bring.